Queensland residents draws to the attention of the House that Marine Rescue Services should not be subject to the management of the Queensland Police Service. There is a conflict of interest between law enforcement services and rescue services. Queensland Police Service is a law enforcement service with a military style management structure suitable for law enforcement. It is a strongly centralised, top-down management structure with all authority resting with the government through a government appointed commissioner. This commissioner has no accountability to the volunteers, over whom he or she would have authoritarian control. This is a totally inappropriate structure for a rescue service. Military style management structures are not suitable for the management of rescue services. Marine rescue services such as Volunteer Marine Rescue or Volunteer Coast Guard are community-based organisations answerable to the volunteers who operate them. They have no law enforcement obligations so people in distress can call on them without concern. Rescue personnel can be "only there to help", so they are at minimal risk of adverse interaction with people they are rescuing.

Your petitioners, therefore, request the House to separate rescue services from law enforcement services. Marine Rescue Services should not be managed by Queensland Police Service. Rescue services could be grouped together (Marine Rescue, Surf Life Savers, Ambulance, Fire, etc). Law enforcement services can be grouped together (Police, Fisheries, etc). Rescue services should not be grouped with law enforcement services.